The first AFI Fest lineup under the programming leadership of new artistic director Rose Kuo has been announced for the upcoming AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (November 1 – 11, 2007). 97 feature films and 51 shorts comprise this year’s roster, which will include seven world premiere films, seventeen North American premieres and eighteen U.S. premieres. AFI Festivals director Christian Gaines and organizers unveiled the full fest lineup, including rosters for the international feature competition featuring work by first and second time filmmakers and the international documentary competition. Also announced were tributes to actresses Laura Linney (“The Savages“) and Catherine Deneuve (“Persepolis“), with screenings of their new films set to screen after the salutes.

AFI Fest will open with Robert Redford‘s “Lions For Lambs” and close with Mike Newell‘s “Love In The Time of Cholera,” with Jason Reitman‘s “Juno” set as the festival’s centerpiece gala.

Twenty-eight of the festival’s 97 features will participate in the American Film Market as well, continuing AFI Fest’s partnership with the annual film business event in Santa Monica, CA.

Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise in a scene from Robert Redford’s “Lions For Lambs,” which will open AFI Fest. Image provided by AFI Fest

“This has been an exciting year of transition for AFI Fest,” said Rose Kuo in a statement. “We were given tremendous support to take risks so that we could make bold selections such as showcasing experimental work in our main sections, foregrounding hot-button political issues, and not limiting ourselves to choosing films based on fulfilling preordained categories or achieving premiere ‘quotas’.” In a statement, festival associate director of programming Shaz Bennett noted that the lineup of international work reflects the diversity of Los Angeles, adding, “This year throughout all the programming, the films and filmmakers were pushing the boundaries of cinema, experimenting with style, form and content.”